Teacher attacked in Tarn Taran school, case filed after 4 days

Tarn Taran, November 8

The teaching community in the district on Tuesday expressed resentment over alleged poor handling of the case in which a teacher of a government school at Sakkianwali village here was brutally thrashed while on duty and was locked in a room of the school a few days ago.

The Verowal police registered a case in this regard four days after the incident. But no accused has been arrested as yet by the police, leading to resentment among the teacher community.

The victim, identified as computer teacher Novpreetpal Singh, in his complaint to the police said on November 4 he was on duty in the school when some girl students of the school came to him and complained about alleged harassment by a group of youths (outsiders) of Sakkianwali village. The teacher went to the alleged accused and told them to mend their ways.

The accused attacked the teacher and snatched his silver chain and his mobile phone. Then they locked the injured teacher in a room of the school for hours.

The Verowal police failed to act on time and a case under Sections 323, 353, 186, 332, 379-B, 506, 342, 148 and 149 of the IPC was registered in this regard on Monday.

Lakhbir Singh, Sarabjit Singh, Diwan Singh, Surta Singh and Harshdeep Singh, alias Harash, have been nominated as accused in the case.

The school staff said a complaint was lodged with the police on the same day, but the police registered a case four days after the incident for reasons best known to the police.

Inspector Rajinder Kaur, SHO, Verowal, said as the injured was declared unfit for giving a statement by the doctors for which his statement could be recorded late but the school staff was not ready to acknowledge. The SHO said no accused had been arrested so far.

Nachhattar Singh and Kashmir Singh Chohla, district president and general secretary, respectively, Kanwardeep Singh and other leaders of the Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF) condemned the attack on the teacher on duty and the delay in registering a case on time.

The leaders appealed to higher officials to arrest the accused soon.